Because of the popularity of the sport of basketball, particularly in the United States, many people, especially families mount a basketball goal on their property. This allows them ready access to a basketball goal to enjoy the sport of basketball. However, most such basketball goals are mounted outdoors on a garage, on a pole near a driveway or street, or some similar mounting. Thus, during inclement weather or at times when the family vehicle is parked in the driveway, access to the basketball goal may be blocked, impeded, or even prevented.
Heretofore, the ability to take aspects of the game of basketball indoors has been impractical and space prohibitive for most families. Although competitive basketball is truly an indoor sport played traditionally during the winter months, such basketball is usually played in large arenas or gymnasiums. It is not practical to construct a basketball court within a home because of the size of such courts and the height of the basketball goal. Most homes do not have fifteen foot ceilings or the unobstructed floor space needed for a court.
Due to the popularity of the game of basketball and the skill involved to play the game well, games derivative from basketball have developed. Games to test a player's basketball shooting skills are among the most popular at amusement parks, carnivals, and fairs. Typically, a player is given a certain number of shots to score a predetermined number of baskets in order to win a prize. Usually an attendant is present to administer the game and distribute the prizes. Such games are usually outdoors, large, and not intended to be readily mobile.
In more recent years, there has been a trend to scale down the size of such basketball shooting games so that the game could move indoors into arcades. Such arcade games are typically coin-operated and permit the player a designated period of time to score as many baskets as possible. Prizes or additional playing time may be awarded to the particularly skillful player who scores a predetermined number of baskets or points within the time period allowed. Such arcade games have become very popular, finding their way into bars, pizza parlor and other places of amusement and entertainment.
Although arcade games of this type have been used in homes, generally such arcade basketball shooting games are not found within a home. This is because, heretofore, such arcade-style basketball shooting game devices were not intended for and do not address the limitations presented by home usage. Most homes have a very limited floor space and relatively low ceilings. The basketball shooting arcade games that are known are deployed in a ready-to-play configuration that consumes valuable floor space. If a person wishes to reduce the amount of floor space used by the apparatus of the game, virtual disassembly is required.
One known arcade basketball shooting game apparatus has uprights which are capable of folding to a horizontal position, this reduces the height of the game to floor level, but does not address the amount of floor space used. Once folded down into a horizontal position, the apparatus can be leaned against a wall to reduce the amount of floor space used. However, such deployment for storage when not in use is impractical and unsafe. It is a major project to break down the component parts of the game so that the uprights can be folded horizontal, and the project is no less major to unfold the uprights and reposition the components before the device is ready for play. Furthermore, the device when folded down and leaned against a wall for storage is susceptible to tipping over onto children or pets that may jar the device inadvertently.
Heretofore, no known device has been adaptable for indoor home usage while still providing an arcade-type basketball game. Hence, it would be an improvement to provide an arcade type basketball game device that is easily foldable for storage and may be rapidly deployed into its ready-to-play configuration.
Additionally, it would be an improvement to provide a foldable arcade-type basketball game device which stores in a substantially vertical disposition resting on a stable base, thereby minimizing the amount of floor space occupied when the game is not in use.
It would be a further improvement to provide a foldable arcade-type basketball game device which can be transformed rapidly from its vertical storage disposition to its ready-to-play configuration without disassembly of any of its component parts, particularly if such transformation procedure is simple and safe enough to be performed by a child.
Still another improvement would be to provide an arcade-type basketball game device which is adjustable to various different heights to accommodate ceiling heights within homes. Such height adjustability also facilitates skill level adjustability for small children who would otherwise be unable to play or have great difficulty playing if the basket were positioned at its highest height.
Yet another improvement would be to provide an arcade-type basketball game device which is height adjustable without removing or disassembling the basketball backboard connection to the framework of the device.
It would be a further improvement to provide an arcade-type basketball game device which has two side-by-side basketball goals enabling head-to-head basketball shooting competition.
Still another improvement would be to provide an arcade-type basketball game device which electronically registers the score and visually displays a running score while simultaneously visually counting down the period of time during which made shots are counted. Another improvement would be to provide volume-adjustable audible acknowledgement of each basket scored.
Yet another improvement would be to provide an arcade-type basketball game device with a scoring mechanism which reduces extraneous scoring.